Jet propelled fire fighting boat



Sept. 5, 1967 v. I ENCI 3,339,516

JET PROPELLED FIRE FIGHTING BOAT llill.'

Filed Dec. G, 1965 I 1 l M l 5 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. V/c: Tol? ENC/ Sept. 5, 1967 v LENCl 3,339,516

JET PROPELLED FIRE FIGHTING BOAT Filed Deo. C, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet f3 Sept. 5, 1967 v LENCl 3,339,516

JET PROPBLLED FIRE FIGHTING BOAT Filed Dec. G, 1965 3 SheeiS-Sheet 5 INVENTOR l//cTo/y EA/c/ a 29 BY [fw Arron/vers.

United States Patent 3,339,516 JET PROPELLED FIRE FIGHTING BOAT Victor Lenci, San Raphael, Calif., assignor to The Dorsett Plastics Co., Inc., Sunnyvale, Calif., a corporation of California Filed Dec. 6, 1965, Ser. No. 511,644 3 Claims. (Cl. 11S-12) The present invention relates to a lire fighting boat, and pertains more particularly to a jet propelled boat wherein water for the jet stream which propels the boat is controlled and diverted for discharge in selected streams both for fighting tires and for controlling the position of the boat.

In recent years the use of a high speed jet stream instead of a propeller for driving a motor boat has come into increasingly widespread use. In such boats water is sucked up from beneath the boat by a jet drive mechanism having an impeller type pump, and is discharged through jet forming means in the stern of the boat above the water level. Control means are provided to act on the discharged water to selectively divert it laterally one way or the other for steering purposes, or to reverse it and discharge it in a forward direction beneath the boat for reversing the direction of boat travel.

In the present invention, a quick action valve is mounted between the pump and the jet forming means, and a riser ahead of this valve communicates with the interior of the jet drive mechanism and also with a loop of large diameter pipe which extends around a selected area of the bottom of the boat. The loop communicates with a second riser provided at the forward portion of the boat, and also with side pipes, the risers and side pipes having fittings thereon for the mounting of re lighting nozzles or hoses. A pair of laterally directed jet discharge outlets also are provided, one on each side of the boat near the bow, and are individually controlled to discharge jet streams of water laterally outwardly therefrom to control lateral movement of the bow when the boat has little or no way on, or to counter-balance the thrust of laterally directed re fighting streams being discharged. The stern of the boat is subject to accurate control by the jet drive mechanism and its associated control means.

An object of the present invention is to make an improved, jet propelled fire lighting boat.

Another object of the invention is to provide means to divert water discharged by the pump of a jet propelled boat into a pipe loop extending around the interior of the boat and communicating with controlled outlets for supplying large volumes of water at high pressure to a plurality of fire fighting nozzles, and also to a pair of laterally directed jet outlets provided one on each side of the bow of the boat for controlling lateral movement of the bow at low speeds and during fire lighting operations.

The foregoing objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a tire lighting boat embodying the invention with all of the nozzles and the bow control jets discharging.

FIG..2 is an enlarged, perspective view, taken from a point above the bow and looking into the hull with the jet drive mechanism, pipe loop and risers installed therein.

FIG. 3 is a further enlarged, fragmentary, perspective view showing a portion of the piping arrangement and other mechanism adjacent the steering and control station.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary, longitudinal, sectional view through the stern of the lboat and showing, in side elevation, the illustrative form of jet drive and associated mechanism.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the iet drive mechanism and principal piping elements as they would appear when viewed from the stern, the hull and decks being omitted.

STRUCTURE In the illustrative form of the invention a jet drive boat A has a V-type planing hull 10 of demonstrated seaworthiness with a conventional jet drive unit B installed in the stern thereof. The jet drive unit B is mounted slightly ahead of the usual mounting position for such unit, and the head portion 11a of an inverted T pipe section 11 is interposed between the usual turbine type pump 12 and its associated jet discharge mechanism 13.

The vertical stem portion 11b of the T section 11 is connected by a conventional flanged joint 14 to a riser 15, which has a pair of loop outlet laterals 17 and 18 communicati-ng with opposite sides thereof. A suitable quickacting valve such as the disk valve 19 is incorporated in the head potrion 11a of the T fitting 11 to proportion the water discharged by the pump 12 between the jet drive mechanism 13 and the riser 15. A jet disch-arge tube 20, with a central vertical vane 20a fixed diametrically therein, is mounted for lateral pivotal movement about a vertical axis in the jet discharge mechanism 13, and a kick-up type rudder blade 21 is hingedly connected to the lower pivot 22 of the tube 20 forsteering control of the boat when the water jet C is not discharging.

A steering lever 23 is connected to the upper pivot of the jet discharge tube 20, and this lever is operatively connected in a usual manner to a conventional steering wheel 24 (FIGS. l and 3) mounted at the steering and control station D. Since several well-known types of mechanisms are commonly employed by naval architects and boat builders for operatively interconnecting various control levers and wheels to remotely located members to be con.

trolled thereby, and since such controls are not per se a feature of the present invention, the details thereof are omitted.

A reversing gate 25, which is a usual part of the illustrated well known type of jet dis-charge mechanism 13 is mounted for swinging movement between its lbroken line, reversing position of FIG. 4, and its spring-urged forward driving condition shown in solid lines in FIG. 4. In this latter condition of the reversing gate 25, the water jet C discharged through the pivotally mounted tube 20 is clear to discharge rearwardly without interference. In its lowered, broken line, reversing condition the reversing gate 25 reverses the direction of the jet and directs it forwardly beneath the boat to drive the boat astern.

The reversing gate 25 is controlled by a spring-biased pedal 27 (FIG. 3) mounted at the steering and control station D. An operator E (FIG. 1) standing at the steering and control station can keep one foot on this springbiased pedal 27, and by holding the reversing gate 25 in a selected position, while at the same time controlling the ow of water through the jet outlet tube 20 by means o f the usual engine throttle 28 and the valve 19, can selectively hold the boat stationary or move it forwardly or rearwardly as desired.

A control lever 29 (FIG. 3) is secured to the pivot shaft of the valve 19, and this lever is connected by usual control means, ont sohwn, to a rotatably mounted control member 30 (FIG. 3) at the steering and control station D. When the control member 30 is swung rotatively in one direction, for example, clockwise, the valve 19 is closed, and when swung in the opposite direction this valve is opened. l

The jet drive pump 12 of the illustrative jet drive unit B preferably is of the so-called mixed flow type, that is,

which builds up a higher static head than a straight axial flow type of impeller. Pumps with either type of impeller are used in jet drive mechanisms of the general type illustrated, but the mixed flow type is preferred for use in the present invention for the reason stated.

The rear riser 15 preferably has an internal `diameter equal to that of the lower head portion 11a of the T fitting 11 and extends upwardly thorugh the rear deck 32 (FIG. 1). A conventional mounting 33 for a fire hose or a selected type of fire fighting nozzle, such as that 34 (FIG. is provided on its upper end. The two laterals 17 and 18 from the riser 15 form portions of a pipe loop 35. These laterals are of smaller diameter than the riser, and preferably are of a combined cross sectional area equal substantially to that of the riser.

A pair of still smaller side pipes 37 and 38 communicate with the laterals 17 and 18, respectively, and lead up through opposite sides of the rear deck 32. Conventional nozzle or hose connections are provided on the upper ends of these side pipes and water fiow therethrough is individually controlled by valves 39 and 40.

The outer ends of the laterals 17 and 18 are bent to extend downwardly close to the botom of the hull 10, and thence forwardly along both sides of the hull to a point preferably forwardly of the steering and control station D, where the converge to complete the loop 35 which preferably is welded into a unitary structure. A forwardly extending single pipe 41 communicates with the forward end of the loop 35, and extends `forwardly a desired distance, and thence upwardly through the fore deck 42 to provide a forward riser 43.

A nozzle mount 44, which may be similar to the rear riser nozzle mount 33, is provided on the upper end of the forward riser 43 for mounting a fire fighting nozzle 34 (FIGS. 2 and 5) thereon. A pair of smaller side pipes 47 and 48 communicate with opposite sides of the fOrward riser 43 and, as shown in FIG. 5, have control valves 49 and 50 mounted therein. These side pipes lead up through the fore deck 42, and a conventional hose or nozzle mounting fitting is mounted on each end thereof similar to those on the rear side pipes 37 and 38.

For controlling the position of the bow of the boat during a fire fighting operation or when docking, a pair of laterally directed jet outlet fittings 51 and 52 are provided in the topsides of the boat, one at each side of the bow, and directed laterally and preferably downwardly.

These bow outlets 51 and 52 have connected thereto flexible, high pressure hoses 53 and 54, respectively, which extend rearwardly along the bottom of the hull 10. The rearward ends of these hoses are connected to pipes 53a and 54a, respectively, which extend upwardly along the inner sides of a transverse pipe arch 55. The lower ends of the sides of this transverse arch 55 communicate with the sides of the pipe loop 35 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5. Control valves 57 and 58 are provided in the pipes 53a and 54a, respectively, and above these control valves the pipes 53a and 54a communicate with the sides of the arch 55.

A relief valve 59 is provided above the control valve 58, and the discharge side of this relief valve communicates with a line 60 which discharges overboard. The relief valve 59 is adjusted in a well known manner to open at a selected pressure, for example, 150 pounds p.s.i.

A hose 61 is provided above the other control valve 57, and communicates with the water cooling system of the boat engine, (not shown), which drives the pump 12, so that in the event of a failure of the cooling system of the engine during use, pressurized water from the fire fighting system can be supplied to the engine to prevent it from overheating.

OPERATION With the valve 19 open, the boat A is driven and controlled in all respects like a conventional jet drive boat of the general type illustrated, with the exception that when operating in close quarters with little or no way on, the

valve 19 may be closed sufliciently to provide a desired pressure in the pipe loop 35 and elements communicating therewith. A selected one of the control valves 57 or 58 to the laterally discharging bow outlets 51 or 52 Carl then be opened to provide a lateral thrust on the bow t0 move it sideways.

Upon arriving at the scene of a fire, and while maneuvering the boat A in a desired position alongside, the valve 19 is closed sufficiently to provide a required pressure in the pipe loop 35 and the pipes and tubing communicating therewith, which pressure is indicated by a conventional pressure gauge, not shown, mounted within easy view of the operator E. The speed of the engine (not shown) and thereby that of the directly coupled jet drive pump 12 is controlled by the throttle 28 (FIG. 3) mounted at the steering and control station D, while the position of the valve 19 is simultaneously controlled by rotative adjustment of the control member 30. In the event of a buildup of pressure in the loop 35 and elements communicating therewith in excess of the adjusted pressure of the relief valve 59, water will be released from the system and discharged overboard through the relief valve 59 to prevent possible damage to the system.

In the event that the forward main nozzle 34, either alone or in conjunction with streams discharged from the forward side pipes 47 and 48, should be directed toward one side or the other in fighting a fire so as to generate a lateral component of thrust tending to turn the bow of the boat in the opposite direction, this thrust can be counterbalanced by opening a selected one of the control valves 57 or 58 to discharge a jet stream through the associated laterally directed bow outlet 51 or 52 as required.

The position of the stern of the boat is regulated by opening the valve 19 sufficiently to discharge a stream of water through the pivoted jet discharge tube 20, and then operating the steering wheel 24 and the reversing gate control pedal 27 in a conventional manner.

While the primary use of the present invention is as a fire fighting boat which is capable of high speed travel over water to the scene of a fire, the invention has also proven itself capable of additional uses. For example, in areas where water mains are not available for supplying land based fire fighting equipment, the boat A can be transported at high speed overland on a truck or trailer and dropped into any available supply of water, such as, for example, a swimming pool or pond, and hoses run from one or more of the discharge outlets of the boat to the scene of the tire. Also, in the case of a fire inland, but within a reasonable distance of a lake, river or other body of water, the boat can be placed in the available body of water and hoses coupled to the risers 15 and 43. These hoses can be extended, ifnecessary, a distance of a mile or more to supply a conventional pumper located at or near the lire.

The invention provides a fire fighting boat which is fast, versatile, highly maneuverable and relatively inexpensive, and one wherein the control of the tremendous quantities of high pressure water available are easily handled in a wide variety of situations.

While I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it will be understood, however, that various changes and modifications may be made in the details thereof without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A jet drive fire fighting boat comprising, in combination with a hull, jet drive mechanism comprising a high speed, large volume water pump with an inlet and an outlet installed in the hull, the pump inlet communicating with Water on which the boat is aoat, and means for forming the water discharged by the pump outlet into a jet and discharging the jet rearwardly from the hull;

an elongated pipe loop mounted horizontally, in longitudinally centered relation in the hull and closely adjacent the hull bottom said pipe loop communicating with the pump outlet ahead of the jet forming means,

a control valve mounted between the pipe loop and the jet forming means for proportioning the flow of water discharged by the pump between the pipe loop and the jet discharging means,

a large, diameter riser pipe communicating with each of the forward and rearward portions of the loop, and

a nozzle mount on the upper end of each riser pipe.

2. A jet drive fire lighting boat comprising in combination with a hull, jet drive mechanism comprising a large volume water pump having a high speed impeller and and inlet and an outlet installed in the hull, the inlet being located for `openly communicating with water on which the boat is aoat, and jet forming means in the stern of the boat for forming the water discharge at the outlet into a jet stream and discharging the jet stream rearwardly from the hull;

a large diameter first riser pipe openly communicating with the jet drive mechanism between the pump impeller and the jet forming means,

a valve mounted in the jet drive mechanism between the first riser pipe and the jet forming means for pressurizing and diverting into the rst riser pipe selected proportions of the water discharged by the pump,

a pipe loop of large diameter pipe and comprising a pair of elongated side portions and transverse forward and rear portions, said loop being mounted horizontally and in longitudinally centered relation close to and extending around a selected portion of the bottom of the hull and openly communicating with the lirst riser pipe,

a second riser pipe openly communicating at its rear end with the forward end of the loop, and

nozzle mounting means on each riser pipe.

3. A jet drive lirst boat as claimed in claim 2 wherein a pipe in the form of a transverse arch has its ends openly communicating one with each side portion of the pipe loop, a pair of oppositely laterally directed jet discharge ttings are mounted one on each side of the bow portion of the hull, and an individually valve controlled duct communicates each side of the pipe arch with one of the laterally directed jet discharge ttings.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3/1966 Parsons 11S- 12 X MILTON BUCHLER, Primary Examiner.

T. M. BLIX, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A JET DRIVE FIRE FIGHTING BOAT COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION WITH A HULL, JET DRIVE MECHANISM COMPRISING A HIGH SPEED, LARGE VOLUME WATER PUMP WITH AN INLET AND AN OUTLET INSTALLED IN THE HULL, THE PUMP INLET COMMUNICATING WITH WATER ON WHICH THE BOAT IS AFLOAT, AND MEANS FOR FORMING THE WATER DISCHARGED BY THE PUMP OUTLET INTO A JET AND DISCHARGING THE JET REARWARDLY FROM THE HULL; AN ELONGATED PIPE LOOP MOUNTED HORIZONTALLY, IN LONGITUDINALLY CENTERED RELATION IN THE HULL AND CLOSELY ADJACENT THE HULL BOTTOM SAID PIPE LOOP COMMUNICATING WITH THE PUMP OUTLET AHEAD OF THE JET FORMING MEANS, A CONTROL VALVE MOUNTED BETWEEN THE PIPE LOOP AND THE JET FORMING MEANS FOR PROPORTIONING THE FLOW OF WATER DISCHARGED BY THE PUMP BETWEEN THE PIPE LOOP AND THE JET DISCHARGING MEANS, A LARGE, DIAMETER RISER PIPE COMMUNICATING WITH EACH OF THE FORWARD AND REARWARD PORTIONS OF THE LOOP, AND A NOZZLE MOUNT ON THE UPPER END OF EACH RISER PIPE. 